The present invention relates to a rectangular electrical connector of the type comprising:
a receptacle receiving first electrical contacts, having two side walls that define two parallel passages extending in the longer direction of the receptacle, PA1 a plug receiving second contacts for cooperation with the first contacts, the plug being displaceable with respect to the receptacle in an insertion and extraction direction, the plug having studs projecting orthogonally to the insertion and extraction direction; and PA1 a U-shaped slide for forced insertion and extraction of the plug, the slide being arranged for sliding along the passages orthogonally to the insertion and extraction direction, being formed with open-ended stud-receiving grooves and having a shape such that displacement of the slide in the receptacle in a first direction causes the studs to move along the grooves from the open ends thereof, and displacement in the opposite direction forces the studs out of the grooves.
Connectors of the above type are often referred to as assisted insertion and extraction connectors.
They are used in particular in locations that are difficult to access. They enable the connector to be mated together by placing the plug on the receptacle while the slide is in a withdrawn position, and by then pushing in the slide. A drawback of many prior connectors of that kind is the risk of pulling the slide too far when it is desired to uncouple the connector. The slide may then escape from the receptacle and be lost or difficult to find.